The Prize
by whipstix
Summary: AU In the wake of the Japanese Army conquering her country of Jagarrata, Kaoru Kamiya is forced to choose a husband from the assembled Japanese Samurai. She chooses Kenshin Himura, the legendary Battoussai, strongest of the Japanese Imperial Army.


**Summary: A/U **In the wake of the Japanese Army conquering her country of Jagarrata, Kaoru Kamiya is forced to choose a husband from the assembled Japanese Samurai. She chooses Kenshin Himura, the legendary Battoussai, strongest of the Japanese Imperial Army.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kenshin. The main plot is borrowed from Julie Garwood's The Prize.

**CHAPTER 1**

He never knew what hit him.

One minute Kenshin Himura was wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm and the next minute he was flat on his back on the ground.

She had knocked him off his feet. Literally. She'd waited until he was in range and then swung the narrow strip of leather in a circle high above her head. The small stone nestled in the center of her makeshift sling had gathered speed until it wasn't visible to the naked eye. The sound of the leather sling circling above her head had made a high-pitched sound, almost like a predatory animal, half snarling, half whistling while stalking its prey. The prey had been too far away to notice the sound though, so he was ripe for the picking.

The red-haired swordsman had been an easy target. He stood out like a sore thumb as the leader of the infidels who were out to conquer her family's estates. The flaming red hair had been like a beacon calling out to her, signaling his vile presence. Even though he was smaller than the man who seemed to be his right hand, he had an air of dangerous authority about him, warning people not to mess with him.

Well he messed with her first by laying siege to her home so she fought right back.

She didn't mean to kill him though, because that went against the teachings of her beloved father, she only meant to stun him. If she had, she would have aimed for the side of his temple. No, she only meant to stun him. He'd probably be carrying a mark on his forehead until the day he died, and that knowledge gave her a perverse sense of satisfaction. She knew that the Japanese samurai were winning the battle. In another hour or two, the mighty Kamiya defenses were going to fall to the invading army and they were going to breach the inner sanctuary.

It was inevitable, they were hopelessly outnumbered now. Her Jagarratan soldiers were tired and battered, this man was the fourth challenger that the bastard Japanese Emperor had sent to take her family's home in the past four weeks. The constant challengers have worn them down, one after another like the heartless curs that they were.

The first three had fought like little boys. She easily chased them away with her brother's men and they retreated like dogs tucked between their tails. They were no match for her brother's well-trained men and her brilliant tactical defenses.

This man was different though. He wouldn't retreat and he managed to outwit, outmatch and outthink her in almost every military aspect. It was as if he could predict her moves and counter them before she realized her mistakes. It soon became obvious that he was more seasoned than his predecessors were and he wasn't going to take no for an answer. He was a great tactician, as well as a great warrior if she chose to believe her eyes. So far, none of her brother's men had managed to put a single scratch on him. He cut through them like paper, one soldier falling after another. Not all the samurai he commanded under him were experienced, much like her own, but he had a brilliant mind and iron will that kept them relentless.

Her brother's men were starting to buck under the pressure. She could taste their defeat in her mouth. Frustrated as she may be, she knew that retreat was her only chance of survival for now. If not for her then for her brothers.

Her eldest brother Aoshi was away. He had fought against the invading Japanese Army at the border, and news of his demise had reached them not three days ago. The eldest among them was now Sanosuke, but he had fallen ill as well.

Sanosuke had followed their brother Aoshi to fight against the invading army in the border and he came back with a shattered right hand and a raging fever. He wasn't going to be able to use his renowned Futae no Kiwami technique until his right hand's bones healed, if he managed to get through his sickness. Not only that, he needed to heal his severely battered body as well. It was a wonder how he survived. He always was unusually strong for a normal man, but that strength had never been used to their advantage before, before this horrible war that wrecked havoc in their country. Kaoru still gave a silent prayer of thanks for the small miracle that allowed her brother Sano to remain alive.

Since she was the eldest successor at their home at the moment, the responsibility of taking care of their youngest sat squarely on her shoulders. She had to figure out a way to get Yahiko out of the war zone safely, or at least conceal him from the likes of the horrible Japanese army. Who knows what they would do to the male Kamiya heir. Kami knows that they slayed one of them already and placed the other in death's door. She was going to figure out a way to protect her youngest brother or die trying.

Victory would go to the hated Japanese by the end of the day.

Their leader would be dizzy with success though. She had seen to it. And damn if she was going to allow them to take her only remaining healthy brother away from her and treat him like a slave.

Her smile was wide when she dispatched her stone.

……

Kenshin Himura had left his horse to help one of his soldiers out.

The boy had gotten himself entangled with more Jagarratan samurai than he can handle, and Kenshin couldn't let a boy of such tender age to meet his maker so early.

Using his god-like speed, he executed a perfect Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Do Ryu Sen attack, clearing away the enemies in one blow. The boy looked at him with idol-worship in his eyes, and he shook his head, ready to retreat back to the clearing where he was overseeing the whole siege at a safe distance. It had taken longer than he expected; he was pretty surprised they had managed to hold out against his army this long.

Before he reached his stead to remount it, Kenshin was thrown backwards. He landed a fair distance away from the boy he had saved and his trusty warhorse. He didn't lose consciousness for long. Dust was still settling around him when he opened his eyes. Several of his soldiers were running toward him to offer their help and check on their fallen leader.

He declined their assistance, waving them away and ordering them back to their positions. He sat up and shook his mane of red hair in an effort to clear the pain and fog that settled in his brain. For a minute or two, he couldn't even remember where the hell he was or what he was doing there. A streak of red was making its way down from his forehead and unto his right eye, and it wasn't his hair. It was blood. He touched a hand to his forehead and felt the cut he now sported.

He looked around and upward, looking for whoever or whatever had hit him. If he were a superstitious man, he would say that Kami-sama had struck him down for all the lives he has taken, but he wasn't so he pushed the pain aside and concentrated on gaining his wits. He stood up, aided by his fury. _I'm going to find the bastard who did this to me and give him equal measure._

That thought cheered him considerably.

His squire Sojiro stood beside him with that usual goofy grin on his face and offered him the reins to his stallion. He mounted the horse with ease and surveyed the structure that they were trying to conquer.

The building was similar to one of Japanese architecture, but it was larger and roomier. Jagarrata had lesser people living in it than Japan, and even though the people from this land originally migrated from Japan, they had more western influence due to the fact that they were more open to border trades and such.

The structure looked like it was big enough to house several barracks, a chapel, the regular rooms that one expected from a normal dwelling big enough for a sizable family plus some and their servants as well, and oddly enough – a huge enough dojo. Jagarrata was distinctly Japanese but not quite.

This siege was growing tiresome. How difficult was it to lay claim to a little girl who was in charge of her brother's inept men? He sighed and took command again.

Saitou, his second-in-command, had a full contingent of men fighting with a unit on the south side of the prefecture. Arrows rained down upon them, but the second-in-command seemed to have the situation fully under control.

Kenshin greatly respected the man. They have known each other since they served in the Emperor's court. Although most men maintained a wide path around Saitou, Kenshin had developed a strange type of friendship with him, eventually earning the taller man a spot in the red head's army.

Hajime Saitou was one hell of a strategist; He had the cunning of a wolf and was almost, if not equally, as brilliant as Kenshin in his war tactics. Proof being that soon enough, the men who looked to be the last line of defense, started falling under the wolf's unforgiving rampage. He wasn't called the Wolf of Mibu for nothing.

……

The sun was setting as the Japanese army made their way into the Jagarratan keep.

The Battoussai rode first across the main gates of the conquered keep, his sword drawn even though there wasn't really any need. The building was practically deserted. Not one soul, soldier or servant, was present to welcome or dissuade their conquerors.

A quick search of the sojourn produced not a single samurai. It soon became apparent that the enemy had used some kind of secret passage to make their escape. The Battoussai ordered a thorough search of the holding, instructing half of his men to search the walls for such openings, and the other half to secure the perimeter. He wanted to seal any and all escape routes as soon as they found it.

The Japanese Imperial army secured the Jagarratan holding in behalf of their beloved Emperor's name a few minutes later when they hoisted the Imperial Crest and Japanese flag onto the pole atop the highest wall. The holding now belonged to the Japanese.

Yet Kenshin had completed only half of his duties. He still had to collect his prize and take her to the Imperial Court.

Yes, it was time to capture Kamiya Kaoru.


End file.
